Chelmsford s Stormwater Program January 9, Town of Chelmsford Department of Public Works Engineering Division

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1 Chelmsford s Stormwater Program January 9, 2017 Town of Chelmsford Department of Public Works Engineering Division

2 What is stormwater?

3 After it rains or snows, the water runs down the street As the water is running down to the storm drain, it collects any pollutants it comes across and carries straight into the storm drain The storm drains collect the water, and send it through pipes The pipes outlet at the nearest wetland or water body without any treatment This pollutes the natural habitats for various species

4 Stormwater Old Approach: Get it off the road and send it to the wetland! New Approach: Treat the pollution at the source before it contaminates our natural resources. Improve the quality and quantity of the water.

5 STORM DRAIN INLET Old Approach The water that runs down the road during a storm will drain directly into the nearest waterbody without any treatment. STORM DRAIN OUTFALL Deep Brook WHAT GOES IN HERE...WILL END UP HERE 5

6 Old Approach: General Maintenance and Cleaning Culvert Repairs per 1990 Drain Study or as needed Minimal Treatment Meet the requirements of the 2003 MS4-Stormwater Program

7 New Approach Benefits: Improve Public Health and Safety Cleaner water Less flooding Safer roads Improve access to local businesses More aesthetically pleasing Less beach closures Make water swimmable/fishable Improve the habitat of our local wildlife Meet all the requirements of the Clean Water Act MS4-Stormwater Program

8 Biotreatment Areas Aesthetically pleasing and good for the environment

9 Kittery Outlet Retrofit

10 Infiltrators behind Town Offices

11 We all can agree that the NEW approach is the way to go How do we achieve that? Create a Stormwater Master Plan Plan will evaluate Chelmsford s current drainage Outline what we need to improve Steps we need to take to improve it Cost estimates for the improvements Implement the Stormwater Master Plan Maintain what we ve built so it continues to function at it s best

12 How did we get to this new approach? Environmental regulations are changing EPA Stormwater Program (Per Federal Clean Water Act) Massachusetts DEP Stormwater Standards Wetlands Protection Act Stricter requirements Fines for not complying with EPA Stormwater Program

13 EPA Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act authorizes EPA and states to regulate point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the USA National pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Includes Stormwater runoff NPDES has been in place since 1990 regulating our municipal stormwater discharge 2003 EPA Region 1 issued a Final General permit for Stormwater discharges from small municipal separate storm sewer systems (2003 Small MS4 Permit) Expired in 2008 but remains in effect until new permit is approved

14 2003 Massachusetts MS4 General Permit Six minimum control measures Public education Public involvement Illicit discharge detection & elimination Construction site runoff Post-construction stormwater management Pollution prevention for municipal operations ** 2007 EPA enforcement personnel visited Chelmsford for two days to assess our stormwater program. ** 2011 EPA sent a request for information: We provided EPA with: 1. Outfall Map 2. Sanitary Sewer Overflow Information 3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Program

15 EPA Fines on MS4 systems for non-compliance with 2003 Permit Canton ($50,000) Concord ($50,000) Dennis ($50,000) Eastham ($40,000) Gardner ($60,000) Peabody ($70,000) Winthrop ($70,000) Fall River (>$100K)

16 2016 Permit 2016 EPA and MassDEP co-signed the Final Permit in April 2016 and it will become effective July 1, To become authorized to discharge stormwater, a Notice of Intent (NOI) must be submitted before September 29, The Notice of Intent outlines all the tasks that the municipality agrees to perform. To become authorized, a municipality must meet all the requirements. 5 Year Permit, but requirements are outlined for 10 years

17 2016 Massachusetts MS4 General Permit Six minimum control measures Public education Public involvement Illicit discharge detection & elimination Construction site runoff Post-construction stormwater management Pollution prevention for municipal operations

18 Some changes: Fully map the stormwater system with catchments Perform outfall screening/testing Retrofit sites with stormwater improvements Increase street sweeping to twice a year Clean all catch basins once they are over 50% full Report on all retrofits by tracking the Phosphorous removal every year Increased site inspection Inspection/inventory of private stormwater systems Site Plan Review to include Phosphorous removal requirements Stricter stormwater bylaws at the local level

19 Mapping - Outfall Screening- Catchment Work - Written Programs

20 How changes affect Chelmsford? Lack necessary time and materials Lack exclusive funding mechanism Lack drainage master plan Need more robust GIS system Need more inspectors

21 Chelmsford s Info Area Total 23.2 sq mi (60.0 km 2 ) = 14,848 acres Land 22.7 sq mi (58.7 km 2 ) Water 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km 2 ) Population (2010) Total 33,802 Density 1,500/sq mi (560/km 2 )

22 Chelmsford s Drainage Infrastructure 650 Outfalls 4,500 Catch Basins 95 miles of drain pipe 240 culverts 800 Drain Manholes 550 Headwalls 50 Detention Basins 6 Infiltration Systems Majority is aging

23 List of Impaired Waters in Chelmsford Deep Brook Freeman Lake Stony Brook Black Brook River Meadow Brook Russell Millpond Hart pond Elm Street and Fiske Street Pond (Cranberry Bog) Merrimack River Concord River

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25 How do we approach funding? Fair and Equitable Cost Effective Solutions Ability to plan projects ahead of time What are they doing in other parts of the State/Country? Changes affect EVERYONE Everyone uses and pays for water and sewer, so why is stormwater exempt?

26 Stormwater Finance Options $ MWIIF : Municipal Water Infrastructure Investment Fund (MWIIF) Surcharge on property tax rate up to 3% -overburdens the residents

27 Fair and Equitable Tax or Fee Tax Exempt users? Businesses? Single Family Houses? Multi-Family? Can you mitigate the cost by being green?

28 Stormwater Utility Fees Municipality Annual Residential Rate Fall River $140 Newton $75 North Hampton $63.94 Reading $40

29 Massachusetts Municipalities with Stormwater Utilities Community Chicopee Reading Newton Fall River Westfield Northampton Established , small fee increase , rates increased July Fees Single Family: $25/Q Ind/Comm/Multi-Family: $0.45/1000 sf/q Min $25/Q Max $160/Q SF/2-Fam: $40/yr Residential: $18.75/Q Residential: $140/yr Others $40/each 3,210 sf impervious area/yr Others: $50/Q Others: $140/2,800 sf impervious area Residential: $20/yr Others: $0.045/sf impervious/yr Min: $100/yr Max $640/yr Residential: $63.94/yr up to 2,250 sf impervious area $125.6/yr up to 4,276 sf impervious area Anything over 4,276 sf impervious area is $259/yr Structure Water Pollution Control Dept. SW Fee DPW DPW Stormwater Sewer DPW DPW Stormwater & Stormwater Enterprise fund Commission Stormwater flood Control Utility Enterprise fund SW fee (also funds the Enterprise fund combined sewer abatement) ,298 24,747 85,146 88,857 41,094 28,495 Population Area (sq.miles)

30 Benefits of a Stormwater Utility Meet the terms of the New MS4 Permit Improve the quality of our waters Swimmable, drinkable, fishable Long range planning of drainage projects Cost-effective by prioritizing Provide regular drainage maintenance to instill a proactive approach, rather than reactive Avoid costly Emergency repairs by staying ahead of the crisis.

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